Cooper Parry has appointed Laura Burton as a partner to head up a newly created global employer services offering, strengthening its specialist support for organisations with an international footprint. Based in the Leeds office, Burton has a UK‑wide remit and her team will advise businesses on all aspects of employment tax and global mobility, and compliance when employees work internationally. She joins from BDO, where she was a tax partner in the global mobility team, following 16 years with Deloitte, bringing extensive Big Four experience to the role.

Azets has appointed Edith Yagoh as a partner at its fast-growing office in Birmingham. Yagoh brings more than 20 years of audit and assurance experience working with large and middle market businesses as well as family-owned businesses across a range of sectors including manufacturing, automotive, consultancies and service providers. She is an ACCA fellow chartered accountant and MBA, and trained at Deloitte in Cameroon where she worked for almost a decade across Africa, north America and the UK, before moving to EY where she spent almost nine years, becoming an audit director. She joins from Forvis Mazars where she was an audit director. Pictured: Edith Yagoh

S&W has appointed Pavan Singh as a partner specialising in tax valuations in London. Singh is a highly regarded tax valuer with over 25 years’ experience advising on all aspects of tax valuations. Her client base spans high net worth individuals and trusts, small to large cap private equity houses, and large corporate clients. Previously Singh established the tax valuation practice at Eight Advisory in London and also led the tax valuation team at KPMG. Her appointment brings deep technical expertise and experience supporting client transactions, tax restructurings and internal reorganisations.

Moore Kingston Smith has appointed James Kesner as an M&A partner, strengthening the media corporate finance offering. He brings more than 20 years’ experience advising agencies in the marketing services and related technology. His career began in industry working in creative agency space before moving into M&A, giving him a combination of operational understanding and deal expertise. Previously he was managing director, global capital markets at investment bank Canaccord Genuity.

Unity Advisory has appointed Marc Lien as chief AI officer and board member as the firm scales its AI-native advisory model for the Office of the CFO. Lien was most recently senior advisor at Warburg Pincus, the private equity firm behind the recently launched Unity Advisory, where he advised deal teams and portfolio companies on AI-led value creation. Before that, he spent 11 years at Lloyds Banking Group, leading the UK’s largest credit-card franchise and serving as CEO of MBNA, following 12 years at McKinsey & Company. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. As CAIO, Lien will work with CEO Marissa Thomas, chair Steve Varley, and the leadership team to build the technology and delivery architecture behind Unity’s AI-native advisory offering.

PKF Smith Cooper has appointed Beverley Scott as a corporate tax partner in the West Midlands. Scott brings more than 20 years’ experience in advising owner-managed businesses across the Midlands and the wider UK, and will work alongside the existing tax partners to support expansion of the corporate tax offering. Previously she was a partner at AIM listed MHA, and also worked at EY and KPMG, supporting a diverse client base ranging from SMEs to multinationals.

Simpkins Edwards has appointed Michael Hesketh as corporate tax partner in the corporate services team based out of the Exeter and Barnstaple offices. A chartered tax advisor with more than 20 years’ UK tax compliance and advisory experience, Hesketh specialises in tax planning for entrepreneurial and owner managed businesses. His expertise spans succession and exit planning, transaction tax structuring and M&A support. Previously he was head of tax in the West Country for Azets.

HaysMac has appointed Jack Beard as director in the transactions services team. He brings over 10 years’ experience advising private equity investors, corporates and management teams across the full deal cycle. He has particular expertise in buy-side and vendor financial due diligence, SPA advice and deal preparation, across varied sectors including hospitality, retail, leisure and e-commerce. Beard joins from PwC where he was a senior manager.

Burgess Hodgson, the Canterbury-based accountancy firm, has appointed Jason Robinson OBE, 2003 Rugby World Cup winner and former England captain, as brand ambassador. Robinson will take part in a programme of client events and contribute to the firm’s thought leadership programme. The partnership is built around a shared philosophy of marginal gains, and the partnership with Robinson is designed to tell a broader story to its wide and growing client base about how the disciplines that produce elite sporting performance, preparation, consistency, and attention to detail, are the same ones that protect and grow businesses.